Fall Electrical Safety: Preparing Your Home for Storm Season
Fall in Connecticut brings cooler temperatures, changing leaves — and plenty of wind, rain and unpredictable weather. Before the season gets into full swing, it’s a good time to take a quick look around your property for potential electrical hazards.
A little preparation now can help prevent problems when the first big fall storm rolls through.
Take a Look at Trees Near Power Lines
Those colorful fall trees can become a problem when branches grow too close to electrical lines.
Wind, heavy rain and eventually snow or ice can bring weakened limbs down onto power lines, potentially causing outages and dangerous electrical conditions.
Walk around your property and look for branches that appear dead, damaged or unusually close to overhead electrical lines.
One important note: don’t attempt to trim branches that are touching or extremely close to a power line yourself.Contact your utility company or an appropriately qualified tree professional to determine the safest way to address them.
Check Outdoor Outlets and Covers
Summer can be surprisingly hard on outdoor electrical components.
Take a look at exterior outlets for cracked covers, loose components or other visible damage. Outdoor receptacles should have appropriate weather-resistant protection, particularly in locations exposed to rain and snow.
If an outdoor outlet isn’t working properly, repeatedly trips or shows signs of damage, have an electrician take a look rather than waiting until you need it.
Inspect Exterior Lighting
With sunset arriving earlier each evening, outdoor lighting suddenly becomes much more important.
Test porch lights, driveway lighting, motion lights and other exterior fixtures before the days get significantly shorter.
If you’ve been thinking about adding motion-activated lighting, landscape lighting or better illumination around entrances and walkways, fall is a great time to get it done before winter.
Pay Attention to Your Electrical Panel
Fall also marks the beginning of a heavier electrical season for many homes.
Heating equipment, holiday lighting, additional indoor time and other seasonal demands can put more strain on an electrical system.
If you’ve noticed frequently tripped breakers, flickering lights, unusual sounds from your panel or other electrical problems, don’t ignore them. These can be signs that something needs to be evaluated by a licensed electrician.
Make Sure Your Generator Is Ready
If you rely on a generator during Connecticut power outages, don’t wait for the weather forecast to turn bad before thinking about it.
Make sure your generator is ready for the season and that you understand how to operate it safely.
Portable generators should always be operated outdoors and positioned safely away from windows, doors and other openings. Never run a generator inside a home, garage or other enclosed space.
If you’re interested in a safer and more convenient way to provide backup power to your home, an electrician can also help with generator connections, transfer equipment and other backup power solutions.
Don’t Forget Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
The transition into fall is also an easy reminder to test your home’s smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Check that alarms are functioning properly and replace batteries when needed. If your home has older detectors, check their manufacture dates as well — alarms don’t last forever and eventually need to be replaced.
A Little Fall Preparation Goes a Long Way
You can’t prevent every storm or power outage, but you can make sure your home’s electrical system is as prepared as possible.
From checking outdoor electrical components to addressing electrical issues you’ve been putting off, fall is a good time to take care of those projects before Connecticut winter arrives.
If you find something that doesn’t look quite right, Flip The Switch Electrical is here to help homeowners throughout Central Connecticut keep their electrical systems safe, reliable and ready for the season.
Contact Flip The Switch Electrical today to schedule electrical service or request an estimate.